1. Field of the invention
The present invention relates to pickup bed covers and more particularly to a pickup bed sidewall attached mount for securing a tonneau cover rail to the pickup bed.
A tonneau cover is frequently mounted on pickup beds to shield contents therein from view, sunshine or inclement weather. Further, such covers tend to increase the miles per gallon of gasoline burned.
This invention provides a pickup bed sidewall rail member easily fastened by snap fasteners to the perimeter of a tonneau cover.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Heretofor in providing pickup bed sidewalls with fasteners it has been general practice to fasten one section of fasteners to the pickup bed sidewall and end gate by drilling holes therein. This increases the cost of installation and does not accommodate the shrink and/or expanding characteristics of the cover frequently resulting in the cover either being too loose and thereby collecting water or snow in the central portion of the cover.
The most pertinent prior patent is believed to be U.S. Pat. No. 4,639,033 which discloses connecting a right angular rail in overlying relation to the pickup sidewall by a clamp member impinging a portion of the rail to a pickup sidewall flange. A C-shaped hook, coextensive with and secured to the tonneau cover marginal edges, resiliently engages the lateral edge or lip of the cover supporting rail projecting over the pickup sidewalls and tailgate.
This invention is distinctive over this patent by a sidewall member supporting a cover mounting rail on the top of the pickup bed sidewalls and which has end members extending between the sidewall rails adjacent the pickup cab and across the tailgate. The rail support, resiliently engages the pickup bed sidewalls and allows sufficient variation between the sidewall rail mounted position and forward to rearward spacing of the transverse rails to accommodate weather induced variations in the transverse and longitudinal dimensions of the tonneau cover.